Welcome to That’s a Trademark, an illustrated look at the weird, wonderful, and sometimes surprising world of trademark law.
If you stop and look around, you will see trademarks everywhere: on the shoes you wear, the food you eat, the cars you drive, and the teams you cheer for.
Some are obvious (“That’s a trademark.”). Some are surprising (“That’s a trademark!”). And occasionally you run into one that makes you do a double take (“Wait… That’s a trademark?”).
This site highlights real trademark registrations from the United States and explains the stories behind them. Each post takes a closer look at a specific trademark, brand history, or interesting corner of trademark law.
Why the stick figures? The drawings function as a brand identifier (when you see the stick figures, you know it’s us!) and a promise for simplicity: intellectual property law can get complicated (and boring) fast, so the simple illustrations help explain and break things down.
What you will find here
On this site you will find content covering things like:
Traditional trademarks (words and designs)
Non-traditional trademarks (colors, shapes, sounds, product designs, and more)
Interesting and unusual trademark registrations, like restaurant services with goats on the roof!
Trademark law basics explained in plain English
Occasional deep dives into brand history
Stick figures, lots of stick figures
Whether it is the shape of a bottle, the color of a plastic bat, the sound of a television show, or the design of a sports uniform, the goal is always the same: to make trademark law accessible, interesting, and (hopefully) entertaining.
About the author
That’s a Trademark is written and illustrated by Justin Powley, a patent and trademark attorney based in the United States.
Intellectual property law can be complicated, but the basics don’t have to be. Justin created the site to point a spotlight at brand awareness and provide an easy and entertaining look at trademark law. Instead of dense legal analysis, the content focuses on real trademarks, the stories behind them, and the quirky details that make trademark law so interesting.
When he is not writing about trademarks, he is usually researching the history of famous brands, digging through old trademark registrations, or drawing stick figures that probably should not be allowed near a law textbook.
Not sure where to start?
Try a random post!
